Summer Stuff

 First, here's the obligatory, "Phew it's been so hot!" exclamation.  Get that out of the way, being Summer a person would expect this to happen, but for some reason it is announced multiple times a day.  

Yesterday and today, though, it's been so pleasant.  No A/C needed, which you know that tickles me.  

So, I took my display out of the Maker's Market, with no hard feelings on either side.  As it should be.

I have also drastically reduced my prices.  All my Critters, my Fairies, Folk and Imps are a mere $5 each, with a $6 s/h charge...

I have cleaned up my shop on FB, which for some reason was restricted exactly the day after I started cleaning it up.  I think it looks better, and I had some fun with the descriptions.  Oh, and it's unrestricted now.  No reason give for why it was, nor why it isn't.  So many glitches.

They are so much fun for me to make, and because I listened to some well intentioned advice, I had a lot of inventory here.  What fun is it to make something cool if it is just gonna sit in the closet?   

Being in the Maker's Market, I learned a little bit, and got a little exposure.  Just this week I was commissioned to make 3 small pink bunnies for a girl at the library.  They are going to be incentives for a reading program.  Hopefully they will use me for more projects in the future.  She had seen my display at the Market.  

While I was making the decision whether to leave the Market or not, I whipped up a few mini kitties.  They are going to be featured on my pages on FB and Instagram next week.  

    

 

You may wonder why I have so many (I had 90 in this house) Critters, there are a couple reasons.   

Busy hands are happy hands, and when I am pondering on things, I stitch.  I have been doing a LOT of pondering over the last couple years.  I had lots to ponder over, and thankfully, I am feeling more reconciled in myself than I have in a long, long time.  There's more about that "stuff" on another blog, if you are interested let me know.  Some of it's kinda personal, so I don't let just everyone see.  

So, if you aren't following me on FB and Insta, why not?  Probably the same reason I don't get any comments.  

It's all good.  Sometimes I just need to get some thoughts outta my head.  And maybe someday someone will read it.  I've stumbled on blogs before.  Remember "Stumble Upon?"  It used to mess my computer up, but I loved the random sites it led me to.  

Speaking of random, don't do Randonautica.  It looks scary.

Gonna have a fresh cuppa coffee, and wait for my sister to get here.  We're going to Hobby Lobby!  

Play Nice! xxoo

Handmade by Cosmo

PS, Greg and Brad and doing great.  Both had birthdays in June.  We had a big party.  

Maker's Market Update

Well!

I changed up the display, used my own stand, and got a banner..."they" keep shifting my stuff, so this is how it looked last Saturday.  

Probably going to pull my display at the end of the month.  I've broke even the last two months, and while I'm not depending on this as my living income, I would like to get a little bit of cash for my talent.  Why am I helping him pay rent, when this is how my product is treated?  

Nah, I have another plan.  

There is an online site called Mercari.  It's like any other online site, with a few differences.  I have sold quite a few items there, so I've taken some of my latest creations and listed them there.  Prices are great, if I do say so myself, and hopefully I'll be successful.  I'll keep you posted, but if you haven't, click on that link, I'm listed as Cindy Durnell Friend, come take a look!  

 

 

 

 

 

Somehow I got the idea to make something different, started messing around with some patterns, fur, pleather and felt, and these are a few that I have come up with.  There are more, trust me.  When I get started I can't stop until I am finished.  That's just how it goes.  

That's where I am now.  I have a lot of Critters made, and now I need to find good homes for them.  

I haven't added anything to my FB shop in awhile.  It's very hard to get exposure over there with all the bot-made posts flooding the view.  I'm about done with FB pretty much, just still holding on, I have a lot of friends out there that I've had for a long, long time.  Not willing to cut those ties.  

So yeah, if you are reading this, would you click here, that will take you to my FB page.  Take a look, click a like to two, but even better, share it with some friends, &/or in a group!  That would be the best!

Play Nice!  xxoo

P.S.  

 

They boys say, "Hey."

Maker's Market

 I did it.  I have a bunch of Critters up at the Peculiar Maker's Market.  And I have already sold a few.  One being a custom order that was picked up yesterday, and she loved it. 

This is my little area, mirror not included.  I do intend to doll it up a bit, of course.  I have a vinyl sign coming, and some more business cards.  

Velvet Purple Lion.  

I have my prices set pretty low...I really just want to make enough to pay for the booth rental and maybe a little more.  For me, this gives me a reason to create more.  It has crushed the creative block I was suffering from.  It also gives me a place to go that isn't very far from home.  I can go hang out for a minute, get a cup of "fancy" coffee, then come back home and create some more.  

I've made 3 new big cats, a custom dog, and have another cat cut out ready to be stitched and stuffed.  

Lot's going on in my brain these days.  So much it's hard to keep up.

Play Nice!  xxoo

Weird Week

 I don't know if it's the Lunar Eclipse tomorrow that's got me a little off balance, but I've been kinda scattered in the brains and emotions since Thursday.  

I've done a little hand stitching, mainly just to keep my hands busy, no real project to work on.  

I took a few of my Critters to a new Maker's Market that opened here in town, ran by a local guy and his wife.  Hopefully I will sell them and be able to rent a booth space.  That's how I am picturing it in my mind, that people will see my Critters and/or my burnings, and want to own them.  

That will give me the incentive to create some more, right now I have too many that need homes.

It's always important to keep our vibrations high.  

Say your prayers, and Play Nice!  xxoo

Handmade By Cosmo 
Come see, say hey!

P.S.  Greg and Brad are doing great!  

 

Slow Stitching

 I have done this all my life, well, since the age of 12 I believe.  I don't know all the embroidery stitches, but I can wield a needle and thread pretty well.  

What I love about hand sewing is all the thinking I can do as I get into the rhythm of stitching.  Lotsa introspection, self realization, etc...

This time of seclusion has been good for my soul.  And I am happy.  

Play Nice!  xxoo

It's March!

I made a couple of Critters in February.  I made a solo trip to Hobby Lobby one day, honestly I was going that direction anyway for another errand, so why not?  I was just going to shop the clearance and sales, which I pretty much did, but I splurged on a couple pieces of faux leather.  Yes, I have faux leather at my house, but this was the perfect color, I thought, for this.

It's a Great Dane!  

I love this breed, and would have one again if I had a yard.

Then I made another one, in felt.  

I call her, Posie.

There is a new Maker's Market in my tiny town, but it's right off the freeway, so I'm thinking about setting up a display there.  I have this rack that I used with my burnings, so I thought I would try using it for my Critters.

I wasn't quite happy with that, so I cut some strips of felt to line the racks, I haven't set it up again, as I, for some unknown reason, put it back in the very back of my storage closet, so I gotta drag everything out again.  Ugh.  I don't know if I have brains or oatmeal sloshing around in my skull sometimes.  

My computer monitor glitched after 25 years of faithful service, so I've connected my computer to my TV.  It'll do for now.  Better than nothing, and I'm not a fast phone typer.

Greg and Brad are doing so great, I got them a cat tree and put it together by myself! 

So, that's us pretty caught up.  Leave me a comment, please, if you are here reading this, and do a little clickety click over to  my FB page, Handmade by Cosmo.   You can click on my shop, too, if you want.  

Play Nice!  xxoo

Taking a Break

Going to put aside my wood burning for a bit.  I think I may have burnt myself out on Christmas Gifts this year!  Not sorry...I was happy with everything I made.

I'm just in one of those creative slumps, where I'm not inspired to work on the things I've been working on.  I put my Critters away for a year before, and came back to them even better.  So, for now...

It's called Slow Stitching.

I use canvas, but you could use fabric, of course...if you're interested, you can Google it.  It's just hand stitching using scraps, different elements, different stitches in a free form style.  Very relaxing.  This was my first one.  

Other than the deep freeze of weather which we are finally, slowly warming out of, all is well in my world.  Greg is not as much of an asshole as he has been, but he's still an ass.  Brad has become a "teenager," and he's learning asshole tricks from Greg.  Brad's demeanor is diff, though.  Greg doesn't give a shit when he's in trouble, Brad is immediately sorry and goes into his "limp and purr" posture.  But...we all love each other, they're 'rasslin' right now. 

I am going into town tomorrow.  I haven't seen anyone since Christmas!  Run some errands and get back home before dark.  

Play Nice!  '

xxoo